Oxide garnet single crystal

Abstract

A novel oxide garnet single crystal, which can be epitaxially grown on a rare earth-gallium garnet wafer and exhibiting excellent performance as a material of magneto-optical devices, is disclosed. The oxide garnet single crystal, grown on the substrate surface by the liquid-phase epitaxial method, has a chemical composition expressed by the formula (Bi.sub.a Eu.sub.b Ln.sub.1-a-b).sub.3 (Fe.sub.1-c M.sub.c).sub.5 O.sub.12, in which Ln is a rare earth element other europium, e.g. terbium, M is an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium, indium, and scandium, the subscript a is a positive number defined by 0.15≦a≦0.6, the subscript b is a positive number defined by 0.01≦b≦0.2 and the subscript c is a positive number defined by 0.01≦c.≦0.1.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A single crystal of an oxide garnet having a chemical composition expressed by the formula   (Bi.sub.a Eu.sub.b Ln.sub.1-a-b).sub.3 (Fe.sub.1-c M.sub.c).sub.5 O.sub.12,     in which Ln is a rare earth element other than europium, M is an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium, indium and scandium, the subscript a is a positive number defined by 0.15≦a≦0.6, the subscript b is a positive number defined by 0.01≦b≦0.16 and the subscript c is a positive number defined by 0.01≦c.≦0.1.   
     
     
       2. The single crystal of an oxide garnet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rare earth element denoted by Ln is terbium. 
     
     
       3. The single crystal of an oxide garnet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the subscript c is a positive number in the range from 0.05 to 0.1. 
     
     
       4. The single crystal of an oxide garnet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the element denoted by M is gallium.